The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.
During grain harvesting operations the freshly harvested grain is typically either stored on farm in permanent storage facilities such as permanent silos or sheds, in mobile silos prior to transport off farm, or stored in short term bulk storage such as silo bags or bunkers. Permanent and mobile infrastructure typically has a high capital cost, and farmers often require extra bulk storage with low capital cost in order to improve the efficiency of the harvest operation. Silo bags assist with harvesting logistics but they have their disadvantages.
Silo bags require periodical inspections as well as require frequent patching of holes to protect the grain from moisture and pests entering the silo bags. Also, grain may sweat when inside a silo bag thus creating a humid environment within the bag. Thus, the silo bags require continuous inspection because grain typically decomposes when contained within a humid environment.
Silo bags are relatively large bags made out of plastic material; thus, use of the silo bags creates a relative large amount of plastic waste. Also, silo bags are heavy and cumbersome to handle. Typically, several persons are required for setting up and handling the bags.
Further, filling of silo bags requires a special filling machine that can only be used for filling silo bags. And, typically, the cost of the bags is around $5/tonne of grain to be stored in the bags. Thus, the use of bags can be a relative costly exercise.
Furthermore, during a harvesting operation a relative large amount of silo bags are required for storing the freshly harvested grain. Typically, a new bag is required after having harvested 200 tonnes of grain; thus, a multitude of bags are required in a single day of harvest.
Moreover, silo bags need to be set up at clean and level sites; typically, ideal sites for setting up the silo bags are not available at the location where the grain is being harvested. Thus, the silo bags need to be set up at locations distal from the harvesting location. This requires carting the freshly harvested grain to the distal location where the silo bags are set up; this typically is a time consuming and cumbersome process.
It is against this background that the present invention has been developed.